Creating A More Inclusive Classroom Community

“Most educators can agree: there has been a significant increase in the number of students experiencing anxiety in the classroom, even in early childhood settings,” wrote Viji Sathy and Kumar Sathy, in an article that forms the basis for the newest Exchange Reflections, “Inclusive Classrooms.” It’s understandable that as the adults in their lives deal with anxiety about the current state of the world, children will be affected as well.

The authors urge early childhood and primary educators to look for ways to celebrate all forms of diversity within classrooms – “race, ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic background, ideology, even personally traits like introversion” – focusing on children’s strengths and helping them feel warmly embraced as part of the classroom community.

The authors urge educators to form a “compliment culture,” defining it as “a place where courageous compliments are intentionally crafted and cherished as an integral component of problem solving, valuing one another and honoring growth.”

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